Things We've Both Lost
by CrazyKitten2112
Summary: Right after the FAYZ ends, Diana spends Christmas with someone she doesn't think that she has anything in common with. As they get to know each other, both of them discover that they have more in common than either of them ever would've thought. Caina! :) Part of my 12 drabbles of Christmas series. Rated K plus for safety. I don't own Gone. Please read and review!


**A/N: This is part of my "12 Drabbles of Christmas" series. I have twelve favorite book characters and I'm going to write a Christmas drabble about every one of them. Here's the schedule:**

**Dec. 13: Johanna Mason from The Hunger Games (Ghosts of Christmas Past)**

**Dec. 14: Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter (A Very Lovegood Christmas)**

**Dec. 15: Edilio Escobar from Gone (Anything's Possible)**

**Dec. 16: Dekka Talent from Gone (A Different Kind of Christmas)**

**Dec. 17: Jack Merridew from Lord of the Flies (Christmas Island)**

**Dec. 18: Penny from Gone (A Coates-mas Story)**

**Dec. 19: Ezylryb from Guardians of Ga'Hoole (Just AnOTHER Holiday)**

**Dec. 20: Angel from Maximum Ride (Christmas With The Flock)**

**Dec. 21: Alice Cullen from Twilight (Christmas: Cullen Style)**

**Dec. 22: Hazel Levesque from The Heroes of Olympus (Christmas in New Orleans)**

**Dec. 23: Caine Soren from Gone (Caine Soren's Christmas Vacation)**

**Dec. 24: Diana Ladris from Gone**

**This story kind of strayed away from Christmas, but I hope you like it anyway. Thanks to everyone who reviewed any of these dabbled, especially Breeze Xxx. Without her support I wouldn't have finished this series of stories.**

I pulled myself out of bed and checked the date on my phone. December 25th, Christmas. I felt like I should've been happy. That's how I had felt ever since the FAYZ wall came down, like I should've been happy. I was finally free. I was getting counseling and everything was going great. Still, I was missing him. Leave it to Caine to go off and sacrifice himself for the greater good the second he stops acting like a jerk.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not spending all of my free time crying, or anything. During the day I'm actually pretty happy. I have friends, I get good grades, and I do a lot of fun stuff outside of school. It's just moments when I'm alone when it gets to me. It's hardest when I'm lying in bed alone with nothing else to think about.

Today didn't fall under that category. Today was Christmas. I wasn't about to spend the biggest holiday of the year moping over Caine Soren out of all people. I pulled myself out of bed and trudged downstairs. This week I was staying with Penny's mom, Janice Xiong, who was surprisingly normal for the former alcoholic who had given birth to Penny.

"Merry Christmas, Diana," she greeted, holding out a small box wrapped in lime green wrapping paper with a light blue bow.

"Thanks," I replied, surprised she'd gotten me a gift at all.

I tore open the package to find a silver bracelet with chunks of a stone that looked like amethyst in it. I was pretty sure it was costume jewelry, but it was the thought that counted.

"Thanks Mrs. Xiong," I replied.

"Just a reminder, Rose, Dahlia, Uncle Steve, and Aunt Connie are coming over this afternoon," Penny's mom said.

If I didn't have a nearly flawless emotional façade, I would've reacted to the name Connie. It was one of those little reminders that shouldn't have made me think of him, but managed to do it anyway. That guy can't leave me alone, not even in the afterlife.

Penny's mom and I sat down to the ever so fancy Christmas breakfast of Mini-Wheats. Mrs. Xiong was treating me well enough, but I knew that I was just the opening act for the main attraction. She had lost custody of her daughters, Dahlia and Rose so she had been fighting a long gruesome battle with the state of California to get them back. It was evident where Penny got the ability to hold a grudge.

"I know you're probably tired of people asking this, but what was it like for you in the FAYZ?" Mrs. Xiong asked.

"First off, I am EXTREMELY tired of the question, but if you need an answer it was absolutely horrible."

"You knew my daughter, what did you think of her?"

"Honestly, I didn't like her, but that was because she was constantly trying to torture me since I was dating the boy she liked."

"Caine Soren?"

Oh god, why does this have to be about him? Why does everything have to be about HIM?

"Yeah," I replied.

"I met him once, when I was down by the dome looking for Penny. He seemed like a decent young man, just the product of horrible parents," she said with a hint of sadness that almost sounded like guilt in her voice.

"That sounds pretty accurate."

"I know this sounds strange, but what was she like?"

"Who? Penny?"

Mrs. Xiong nodded.

"She was quiet at first. She kept her crush on Caine a secret really well. I can usually guess that kind of thing, but this time I had no idea. She didn't stay quiet, though. She went totally insane and tried to take over Perdido Beach in a giant vengeance plot against Caine. The funny thing is, she and I were actually on the same side throughout most of our time in the FAYZ. I took care of her when she had broken legs, yet I still don't really know her."

"I wish I would've gotten to know her. She died so young, and a complete stranger to me."

"I know how you feel."

"The baby?"

"Yeah."

"I almost know how you feel."

"Thank you for saying almost. I'm so sick and tired of people acting like they know what I'm going through just because they lost somebody. I've never met anybody who lost the love of their life and daughter they never even got to know!"

"Wrong. You've met me."

"I was wondering what happened to Mr. Xiong. You don't need to tell me how it happened or anything, but I was just wondering if he was…you know."

"Yeah."

If you looked up awkward silence in a dictionary there would be a picture of an emotionally damaged white teenage girl sitting across from a thirty something Asian women, both of whom are eating cereal on Christmas morning.

"Does it ever get better?" I asked quietly.

"Well, I haven't been dealing with Penny's death with much longer than you've been dealing with your daughter's," Mrs. Xiong replied.

"I didn't mean that."

"Oh, do you want to know if you'll get over him?"

I nodded.

"I would love to say yes, but you might not. If it was just the average teenage fling, I would say yes. It wasn't, though. I have a feeling it was something more than that. If that was the case, and you were truly in love with him you might not ever get over him, even with all those flaws, and that sick twisted obsession of his-oh, sorry. I accidentally stopped talking about Caine there."

"No, you didn't."


End file.
